Of Black Cats and Demons
by muuu
Summary: Au. Discontinued. Lavi, a notorious demon who strives to collect souls, is out in the open in the upperworld, with Kanda, a black cat, after the Headband he wears. And with angels on the move, will anyone survive? Lavi/Kanda
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **I've been faced with the worst challenge a writer may ever have: writer's block. Hopefully, this fic will help get rid of it :D

**Disclaimer: **I don't own D. Gray - Man ;_;

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><p><span>Of Black Cats and Demons<span>

_Chapter 1_

Lavi walked down the paths of the Underworld, lacing his fingers behind his heads. He wore his regular outfit, consisting of a forest green sweater that clung to his skin, white jeans, and knee-high brown boots. His face donned a bored expression, earning whispers from surrounding female demon's and the like. The redhead could care less if they were gossiping how awesome he was at collecting souls or if they were talking about how he managed to lay his hands on the headband he was wearing now.

He passed by a small group of soul collectors whispering to each other.

"You mean you don't know who that is?"

"That's the legendary Lavi!"

"Mhm, he's collected the most souls and wears the Green Headband."

Lavi held a smirk back. Hearing meaningless gossip that praised him amused the redhead to no end. He wasn't that great.

Okay, maybe he was, but it's no bragging matter. Lavi would much rather be a weakling than some ridiculously strong demon being tailed all the time.

"Tch." He clicked his tongue in annoyance, remembering he has work in the living world tomorrow.

He found living in the living world was much easier, albeit the high school he attends constantly gives him piles of work upon piles of work.

Immediately, he changed direction to the Hall of Worlds. He stepped through the familiar door filled with abstract purple and red patterns of swirls and plunged into the mass of color.

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><p>Kanda stalked into the Court of Black Cats, the familiar black cat ears and tail immediately popping up against his will. He was wearing a tight, sleeveless turtleneck and some grey sweatpants that had cuffs to tighten around his ankles. He let out an annoyed growl and continued his path up the white marble steps. He immediately pushed open the grand double doors and and walked in with a scowl, seeing the familiar figure, lazing in the chair.<p>

"Oi! Komui! What is the meaning of this mission?" He yelled, cat tail flicking back and forth in irritation. "'Steal the Green Headband of Sight'? You do understand who wears it, correct?"

"Why, yes; yes, I do. But I assumed you were powerful enough, seeing how you were bragging about it just yesterday," Komui smirked as Kanda looked to the side to hide his embarrassment. "What did you say, again? 'I'm so strong, I can take on that Lavi demon any day', was it?"

Kanda felt a corner of his mouth tug downward, effectively forming a sneer. He unintentionally let out a feral growl.

"Fine! I'll do the mission, but you better have a great bounty, meaning money, Komui. Not that ridiculous excuse of a medal made of plastic you gave me last time," the black cat irritably said.

"Is there a set amount?" Komui asked, quirking his eyebrow.

"I prefer somewhere around nine to ten," Kanda replied, knowing his boss knew he meant nine hundred to ten hundred.

"Done," he agreed. "I'm sure you've read the directions, but to really drill this into your head, be sure to get close, let him trust you. When it's time, take the Headband."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Kanda said, waving his hand around.

"Good. Now head for the Hall of Worlds, and leave."

So he did, and he headed for the Hall of Worlds.

* * *

><p>"Allen! Quit stuffing your face with food and get ready for the ceremony!" Lenalee scolded, fox ears and tail emerging due to annoyance.<p>

The table was lined with plates that had piles of food on each.

"Thass tchuhday?" Allen asked with his mouth full of spaghetti.

"Yes! Now wipe your face, get into your uniform and meet me at the temple!"

"I will-"

"Good-"

"Right after I finish this plate of chicken."

Lenalee let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine. But if you're late, not many people will be pleased."

"But I'm already on my last dish," Allen said.

"How did you manage to eat all that food just now?" Lenalee asked, dumbfounded.

"You were just standing there watching me eat, weren't you?" Allen asked as he wiped his mouth. He stood and headed towards the Temple of Bonds. "Well are you coming or not? Not many people will be pleased if you're late," Allen said, eyes twinkling with mirth.

The two headed for the temple, and prepared for their bonding ceremony.

Just as how angels and foxes bond together to boost their power, demons and black cats bond, also, for the same reason. Though, bonding is rare these days, considering angels and even demons have gotten much more powerful over the last decade.

But still, it didn't stop Allen and Lenalee from doing so.

The head angel read the Rules of Bondings and went through the vows. The duo agreed and was handed a small blade.

For angels and foxes, they bond by sliding the blade across their palms and shake hands, effectively exchanging blood.

And Allen and Lenalee did so, forming the eternal bond.

"And now it's time to find that demon," Allen solemnly said.

Lenalee nodded, determined to find the demon.

The two disappeared, leaving a confused head angel and a confused crowd.

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><p>"No matter how many times I go through that door, I just cannot get used to it," Lavi grumbled to himself as he sat up.<p>

The door had opened a portal of purples and reds and Lavi had just fallen onto his bed through it. He adjusted the Headband and closed his visible eye; he opened it again, revealing his once emerald eye to show a ruby red stained one.

Lavi willed his eye to to see farther, scoping for humans. Pain immediately shot through his eye, causing the redhead's hand to fly up to the emerald orb. Lavi groaned in pain and threw the Headband off, deactivating Sight.

"How am I going to learn how to use you if you keep making me feel as if I've been stabbed repeatedly in the eye, Headband?"

His eyes flashed to the digital clock sitting in the bed stand.

"I should be getting ready for school..." he said as he trailed off. The redhead shrugged, "Eh, I still got an extra ten minutes to waste."

And with that, he grabbed his mp3 player and let the music blare out the tiny speakers.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Woot Woot \O/ second chapter :D

**Disclaimer: **I don't own D. Gray - Man T_T

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><p><span>Of Black Cats and Demons<span>

_Chapter 2_

"Che. Just how long do I have to sit around here," Kanda irritably mumbled. He sat on the edge of the school roof, his palm supporting him, and an unbent elbow resting on his propped up knee. The black cat's ears and tail appeared out of irritation, cat tail flicking back and forth.

The cats that he spotted in the alleys told him that the redheaded demon would idly kill time up here.

"I swear, if they lied..." Kanda quietly said to himself, other hand balling into a fist, "no catnip for them."

Suddenly, he heard the metal door creak and some footsteps.

"Well, what do we have here?" a calm voice asked.

Kanda immediately turned around, ready to tell whoever it was that Kanda did not just flinch because he was startled, but because it was one of those twitches the body instinctively has on its own and the twitch just happened to be his entire body; the words died in his throat when his eyes saw the familiar blood red hair.

There he was, in all his demon glory, wearing the standard school uniform - a black, unbuttoned blazer over a white dress shirt with a red tie, black dress pants, and shiny black dress shoes. And wrapped around his head was the Green Headband of Sight. Kanda noticed his own appearance: a simple tight and sleeveless turtleneck and some black jeans that hugged his thin legs.

"It's particularly rude to pointedly stare at someone, you know," Lavi said as he went to sit next to Kanda. "So what's a black cat like Yuu doing here?"

"You know my name?" Kanda asked, deliberately ignoring he just called the black-haired teen by his first name.

"Who doesn't," Lavi scoffed. "Well? Why are you here?"

"I'm just here," Kanda shrugged. "Besides, I could ask you the same thing," he said, tail coiling around Lavi's arm.

"Taking a liking to me, already?" Lavi smirked.

Kanda's ear twitched. He pulled his tail back, and mumbled a soft and clipped, "Maybe." The one-worded answer didn't go unheard by the other, but Lavi ignored it.

The two sat on the edge of the school roof, lazing about and speaking of random things.

Lavi was wrapping up the story about how he and his two other friends mistook a car as an elephant, when the door suddenly opened and a voice called out.

"...and it was then I decided not to drink ginger ale while walking home from school a-"

"Lavi! You're still up here?" a female voice asked.

Kanda immediately willed for his cat ears and tail to disappear before the random girl noticed he was even there.

"Yeah, sorry," Lavi asked, plastering a fake grin to his face, "I was just talking to my friend, Yuu, here." The redhead harshly patted Kanda's back. Had the latter not been gripping the concrete edge to the roof so tightly, he might have fallen off.

"And what is this friend you speak o- oooohh," the girl drawled out, taking in every detail of the breathtaking teen sitting before her.

Lavi swore he saw some hearts in the girl's eyes. He felt the attraction emitting from her, whereas Kanda seemed completely unaffected. In fact, the black-haired other next to him had a bored expression on his face.

The girl went back to talking to Lavi but she occasionally glanced at Kanda, who was looking off into the distance.

"The, er, principal was, uh, looking for," the girl paused to take a look at Kanda, "you."

"Oh. Tell her I'll be there later," Lavi offhandedly said. When the fidgeting girl didn't leave, Lavi could feel the irritation bubbling in the pit of his stomach.

That's rare, Lavi mused. No matter, first for everything.

"You know you can leave, right?"

"Oh! Right," she lamely said. The girl left, albeit reluctantly.

"I should get going, also," Lavi said, not making a move to get up.

Before saying anything, Kanda let his ears and tail reappear. "She's annoying. I managed to scrape up the last of my willpower to keep my ears and tail from showing themselves."

Kanda's lips tugged downward in a frown, while Lavi's eyes twinkled with mirth.

"Who was she, anyways?"

"Eager to know?" Lavi teased, smirk appearing.

Kanda turned his head to glare at the redhead. "No."

Lavi chuckled and shook his head. "I really should get going to class, right now. But with your tail wrapped around my wrist, I don't know if I can even get up."

Kanda's cheeks dusted pink as he looked away and muttered a quick, "Sorry."

"I don't really mind," Lavi said, grinning. "Besides," the grin was replaced with a mischievous smirk, "you're kinda cute."

Kanda tensed, his cheeks burning. "I'm not cute," he stubbornly mumbled as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Whatever, you say," Lavi said, rolling his eyes.

I can't help that my cat side likes you, Kanda wanted to say. He held the words back because he realized just how childish it would sound.

It wasn't until Kanda heard the metal door close that he realized Lavi was gone.

He let out a sigh and shook his head.

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><p>Just what had gotten into me, Lavi thought. He had never been that open with anyone. Not even his two best friends! But there he was, telling that story about how he mistook the car for an elephant to a stranger he just met. And to a black cat from the underworld, no less.<p>

"...vi? Hey! Lavi!" a familiar voice called out to him.

"Huh? What?" The redhead snapped out of his thoughts and was faced with a worried Lenalee. "Oh, sorry. Just spaced out a bit." Lavi tried to give a convincing smile.

"Something on your mind?" she asked, concerned.

"Nothing you need to be worried about," he answered, false smile still on his face.

Lenalee rolled her eyes, fox ears and tail nearly appearing.

"Fine, but if you need anything, just tell me," she said, heading over to Allen.

"Well? How is he?" the white-haired angel demanded.

"He's a bit bothered and distracted," Lenalee said, shaking her head, long green tresses swaying back and forth. "I'm sure it has something to do with that black cat presence."

Allen nodded. "Do you think the cat is aiming for the Headband, also?"

"I'm thinking not, but we can't be too sure."

"And how do you think we can get the Headband from him?" Allen asked.

Lenalee, again, shook her head, answering with an, "I don't know. I don't think he trusts us enough."

Allen and Lenalee both glanced at Lavi, who staring out the window.

"He's distracted. How about we just sneak over there, snatch the Headband and disappear before he notices anything?" Lenalee suggested.

Allen shook his head. "There are too many people, they'll notice."

"Oh. Well, we can always d-"

"Alright, class, time to get started," the teacher said as she walked in.

Most of the class let out a groan; some let their head fall onto their desk with painful 'thump'.

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><p>Kanda sat on the branch of a tree, his back leaning on the trunk and a leg dangling off the branch. He was so bored, he seriously considered playing his violin, Mugen. The sleek and black violin was what any violinist could ever hope to even come across. The strings were very durable, able to be pulled and stretched to any maximum, but never snap. The chinrest was lined with soft material, and the bow was just perfect. But he'd mastered it a while ago, giving him nothing more to do than just play it.<p>

He let his hands and arm take the position, violin and bow appearing in a flurry of black sparkles and red feathers - which soon faded.

He let his hands smoothly run up and down the strings as his other hand pulled the bow back and forth. The familiar tune washed out the city noise and the buzz of a million voices. Kanda was in his own world, now.

"Ava Maria?" a familiar voice asked.

Kanda stopped playing and put the violin and bow in his lap. He looked down to see whoever it was, ready to glare at them. But seeing the familiar green eye and red hair, his annoyance was thrown out the window.

"Yeah," he replied. He let the violin and bow disappear before he jumped down. "School's over?"

"Why? Were you waiting for me?" Lavi teased.

"Che," he sneered. "No."

"And no, school is still going to continue for another couple hours, but those are recreational classes and I'm too lazy to go to them."

"Oh."

Kanda stuck his hands into his pockets and forced his tail and ears to disappear. The duo wandered off in a random direction, once again, speaking of miscellaneous subjects.

"...so I killed it," Kanda said.

"How could you say that so nonchalantly?" Lavi asked, incredulous. "Roaches are nasty and if you squish them, there's a crunch," the redhead said, suppressing a shudder.

Kanda shrugged. "It's not a big deal."

"Yes, it- oh, hey, are you hungry?" Lavi randomly asked.

"What the he-"

"-language, Yuu-"

"-heck," Kanda lamely finished. "Why ask me now of all times?"

"Because any second now, both our stomachs will growl," Lavi replied.

Soon enough, their stomachs let out a resounding rumble.

Kanda grumbled curses under his breath as he crossed his arms across his chest. Lavi let out a short laugh - which abruptly stopped.

He closed his eye and reopened it; the usual pine green now a blood red. The redhead disappeared in a flash, leaving a particularly irritated Kanda. The latter mumbled a long stream of colorful words as he ran after Lavi.

He ran and ran, occasionally pausing to get information from cats he passed by. He ran through the city, passing by dank, dark alleys and pristine, fancy stores.

And Kanda continued running - that is, until he heard a grunt in an alleyway he ran past.

The black-haired teen turned around and headed into the alley, spotting a tussled Lavi held against the brick wall by his neck and a knife pressed to his throat.

_Now's the time,_ Kanda heard in his mind.

_Komui, get out of my head or I swear something will happen to your precious cat under your fancy chair, _Kanda thought.

_Whatever, grab the Headband_, Komui demanded. _It's the perfect time._

Kanda didn't listen; he flew towards the man with the knife and kicked him in the side. Kanda heard the winded man wheeze and cough before he heard steps running away.

"What the fu-"

Lavi coughed as he got up form his hands and knees. "-language, Yuu-"

"flim flam happened here?"

"Oh, nothing, just that I was nearly killed," Lavi sarcastically answered with an eye roll.

Kanda growled. "I wasn't talking abut that; I'm talking about why the guy suddenly attacked you."

"Worried, aren't you?" Lavi teased, smirk forming on his face.

Kanda intentionally ignored that Lavi had just messed with him and instead yelled, "Don't change the subject, da-"

"-language, I said-"

"dang it," he lamely finished.

"It really doesn't concern you, Kanda," Lavi said, an edge to his tone.

"What do you mean it doesn't concern me?" Kanda yelled.

"It just doesn't, okay," Lavi said, eyes narrowing.

"Che. Fine, be that way." Kanda crossed his arms as the corners of his lips tugged downward. "I'm going back to the underworld."

"But-" Lavi started.

But Kanda was already gone.

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><p>Kanda was lounging in his apartment in the underworld, contemplating on exactly what happened today.<p>

He laid on his stomach, chin resting on his folded arms. His ears and tails have shown a while ago, and his tail was wavering back and forth.

I'm not normally like that, he thought. Everything the demon does gets a reaction out of me.

_Why is that? I'm usually not that sociable. Especially not with demons. And _especially _not with _Lavi.

_Just _what_ is going on with me?_

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><p><strong>AN:** How's that for a second chapter ;D?


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** I don't think there's an official color for Lenalee's hair. It's green in the anime, black in the manga, and purple in the colored manga pages. So confusing -_- I think I'll just stick to anime green.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own D. Gray - Man D:

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><p><span>Of Black Cats and Demons<span>

_Chapter 3_

_A week later..._

Kanda was idly reading a book laying down on the small couch in his room, but he felt something land on the hand that was resting on his stomach. The familiar black and purple tinted butterfly relayed a message; when the message was finished, it flew back outside the window.

Kanda felt anger bubble in the back of his throat. "Che."

For the second time that week, Kanda stormed into the Court of Black Cats in his usual attire with his ears and tail visible. His untied hair billowed behind him. He ran up the steps, two at a time and kicked open the grand wooden double doors. His face donned a teeth-baring sneer.

"Komui!" Kanda yelled. "What is the meaning of this mission? Hm?"

"Now, Kanda, don't get your knickers in a twi-"

"You know what? I will get my knickers in a twist! You know why? I'll tell you why! 'Kill Lavi'. What is this, Komui?" Kanda hollered with exaggerated arm and hand movements.

"Kanda. Calm down and listen to what I have to say," the purple haired man demanded.

Kanda mustered up the greatest death glare he could ever achieve and looked at Komui directly in the eye.

Slightly disturbed, Komui explained, "The angels are on the move, Kanda. We need to get to the Headband before they do."

"What the hell? Angels are in this now?" Kanda let the sneer drop to replace it with a deep scowl. He crossed his arms across his chest.

"Yes, angels. However, from the intel I gathered, there is only one, and he brought a bonded fox with him."

"Bonded?" Kanda asked, eyebrow quirking.

"Yeah. You know when you cut your palm and handshake?" Komui explained has he motioned out the sentence.

"I know what it is, but they've bonded?"

"Kanda, I just said that they did, why repeat me?"

"Che."

"Yes, Kanda, they bonded. Is there any reason why you don't understand?"

"I understand, but why?"

"You don't know what happens when they bond," Komui deadpanned.

"I know, but I don't see why they've bonded. Angels and demons have gotten stronger over the past ten years, anyways. Why bond?"

"Well, they still get that power boost."

Kanda rolled his eyes. "I know, but still, why would they bond?"

"Well, it has something to do with the Headband," Komui hinted, making a rolling motion with his hands.

"So they're boosting up their power for a better chance at getting the Headband!" Kanda realized.

"Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner!" Komui sarcastically congratulated. "Now, go off an complete your mission. We _need_ this Headband, Kanda."

"You better have that bounty, Komui."

"Don't worry, Kanda. Just be a good little kitten and go off and complete that mission," Komui ushered.

"I'm not a kitten, dang it!" Kanda barked.

"Oh? What happened to your potty mouth habits, Kanda?" Komui asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Eh?" Kanda gulped. "Well, you see..."

"Whatever, just go an complete the mission," Komui said, waving him off.

After Kanda left the room and was out of earshot, Komui mumbled to himself, "Now, how am I going to get the nine grand?"

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><p>Lavi sat in his school desk, clad in the academy's uniform. His chin rested on his palm that was propped up on his elbow.<p>

It's been a week, Lavi thought.

The redhead was currently in English, one of the most boring classes he's ever had to endure - one reason being the teacher lecturing about nouns and adverb clauses the whole time. But he still makes the required grades, if not, exceeding - albeit the fact he almost never pays attention.

He turned his head back to the blackboard, smeared with chalk dust and scribbled with more chalk.

From the corner of eye, Lavi caught a smudge of purple and red. He turned his head back out the window, recognizing the smudge was a portal from the Underworld.

Lavi couldn't help but feel a smirk stretch across his lips.

So he's back?

* * *

><p>Kanda stood at the door to the real world at the Hall of Worlds. The familiar white marble door had a wonderfully crafted gold handle - not that the violinist would care.<p>

He had the violin strapped to his shoulder, his hands in his pockets, and his tail and ears showing. His tail idly flicked back and forth in mild anticipation.

Wait a minute.

Anticipation for what, exactly? Kanda contemplated.

He shrugged and stepped into the mass of swirling reds and purples. He instinctively immediately bent his knees, and as expected, he softly landed on his heels with a slight thump. The black-headed teen dusted off any dirt that clouded beneath his feet got onto his clothes, and spotted the school building to his left. His eyes drifted across the white brick wall of the academy that had clean and clear windows perfectly lined up and across the wall; Kanda spotted a bright green eye and a smirk staring at him from the window on the second floor. Recognizing who the emerald orb belonged to, Kanda sent a smirk back.

"Waiting for me?" he mouthed.

Lavi gave a knee-buckling grin and shook his head, red trusses gleaming in the sunlight through the window.

"...vi-san! Lavi-san!" the teacher called.

"Huh, yes?" Lavi reluctantly peeled his eyes away from Kanda and looked towards the teacher.

Kanda felt a little piece of himself wilt a bit when Lavi looked away. He tried shrugging the feeling off, but he had an inkling it wouldn't go away. He shrugged his shoulders and jumped onto a tree.

From there, he jumped from tree to tree or hopped onto different ledges of various fences or rooftops.

* * *

><p>Kanda was at a cafe, sipping on an icy mocha frappuccino. The sweetness didn't appeal to him, but it left a satisfying bitter taste. He sat cross-legged in the chair, earning occasional glances of weariness or as if he was something to eat. But the teen was used to it by now; he knew he looked good.<p>

His thin phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket, slightly startling him. Kanda reached into his pocket and fished out his phone, flipping it open and holding it up to his ear. "Moshi moshi?"

"Hey," a familiar voice greeted.

Kanda quirked an eyebrow, "Lavi? How did you get my phone number...?"

He could picture the redhead shrugging. "When you're a top ranked demon, you know people."

"I'm sure you do," Kanda said, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, by the way, could you get me something at the cafe? I'm kinda hungry." Kanda could hear his sheepish tone and see him scratching the back of his neck.

"How did you...?" Kanda trailed off as he looked around the cafe and out the windows.

"Like I said, I know people," Lavi said. The black cat could picture the redhead with a cocky smirk.

Kanda gave a frustrated groan, rubbed his face, and grumbled a, "Fine."

"I knew I could count on yo-"

"But don't complain about whatever I decide to get you," Kanda deadpanned.

Lavi groaned. "Fine."

"Good."

Kanda snapped his phone shut and called the waitress over, blandly asking her for a slice of the green tea cake and a slice of the mocha. The girl immediately complied, bringing the cakes over quickly. Kanda muttered a thanks, earning a stuttered, "You're welcome."

The black-headed teen grabbed his phone, that sat on the table, and began looking for Lavi's foreign number in his phone. But before pressing the call button, someone sat in the chair in front of him. Kanda was ready to glare at whoever it was, but realizing it was none other than the redhead, he settled for a slight scowl.

"It took you a while," Kanda commented.

Lavi shrugged. "I was at school when I called you. It's quite the distance from there to here, you know?" Lavi explained as he put a piece of the pastel green cake into his mouth via fork.

Kanda stuck his fork into the mocha cake, reluctant to try it, due to it being a sweet pastry. He swiftly stuck the cake into his mouth, screwing his eyes shut. The sweetness spread out in his mouth, making him almost gag; he swallowed the cake and had a sour look on his face. Kanda pushed the plate of cake to an amused Lavi. "You can have it," he deadpanned.

Lavi blinked. Once, twice, thrice, before shrugging and eating the cake. "Hey, Yuu, why didn't you get anything for me to drink?"

Kanda shrugged. "I didn't feel like it."

"Oh." Lavi grabbed Kanda's icy mocha frappuccino, and took a sip from the straw. His nose wrinkled. "That's really cold and bitter, Yuu," Lavi said as he examined the brown drink.

"Then you shouldn't have drunken it," Kanda said, glaring at the redhead.

"Hey, Yuu, guess what?" Lavi said, a mischievous smirk spreading across his face.

Kanda ignored the fact Lavi had called him by his first name numerous times, and answered with an exasperated, "What?"

"We just had an indirect kiss~" the redhead teased.

The heat immediately rushed to his face as he crossed his arms and turned his head. "Che."

"Anyways, what're you doing back after you left for the underworld last week?" Lavi asked before sipping the icy beverage.

"I was assigned a new mission," the older answered as he laid his chin in his palm, scowl tugging the corner of his lips. It wasn't a lie; the mission itself was unpleasant.

"Oh."

Awkward silence filled the lack of communication.

Kanda stared out the window and at the drifting clouds. The sky was a wonderfully crisp blue and the clouds looked like white cotton candy.

The familiar bloodthirsty feeling swirled in the pit of Lavi's stomach, causing the emerald orb to darken into a blood red. He stood and made a beeline to the door in a zombie-like state; Kanda's eyes inquisitively following his figure - the latter didn't notice Lavi's eye dye ruby.

The redhead felt his body move on its own; although at first, he had made it a personal mission to mass collect souls, but right now, he didn't want to. He didn't want to kill the pitiful human sitting in the alleyway just a few meters from him. He felt the blood drain out of his face as the familiar feelings of excitement and ecstasy, imagining the blood splattering on his face and clothes, rushed in his demon veins. Lavi just wanted to go back to that cafe and enjoy a cold, sweet frappuccino with Kanda.

Wait, Kanda?

Lavi just brushed it off, deciding the situation at hand preceded the thought. The redhead pulled the familiar pocket switch in his pocket; the deep blue hilt felt smooth in his hand, but it felt unusually cold. The knife would normally have at least a little warmth from the body heat, but not today. The familiar blade flipped out of the handle, sending the usual slight tremor throughout his hand. Lavi's other hand shook in involuntary excitement. Lavi felt his own lips pull up in the sick grin; it was as if he was taken over by another person.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed his shoulder in a bone-crushing grip.

"Don't do it."

The familiar voice filled the dark alleyway. The human ran off by now, and it was just Kanda and Lavi.

The latter stopped in his tracks, his eye swirling into the normal green; the adrenaline was flushed out, causing the unpleasant excitement rush back. He pulled the knife back into its case and put the switch back into the holster on his thigh.

The grip tightened. "Let's go."

"Yeah."

The two headed for Lavi's apartment with the redhead lecturing almost the entire time because Kanda didn't have a place to spend the night - "What do you mean you don't have a place to stay? You come on a long-term mission, right?" Nod. "Then you're supposed to get a place to stay!" "Whatever, just let me stay."

They spent the remaining hours playing card games, rock, paper, scissors, naming foods that started with a particular letter, naming random colors, and watching _The Notebook_.

The credits rolled up the screen in white letters with the black background. The two beings from the underworld were in a tangle of limbs, blankets, and two considerably fluffy pillows.

Lavi had been reduced to a sniveling mess, and the once clean living room was littered with half-used tissues that soaked tears and two tissue boxes, a third sitting next to Lavi.

Kanda gave a sniff and blinked back tears.

_Do not cry. Do not sniffle. Do not blink often. Do not cry. Do not try to wipe a tear. DO. NOT. CRY. _Kanda repeated to himself.

Lavi breathed in a deep breath through his nose and said, "It's kind of late, so we should get to bed."

"How many bedrooms do you have?"

"...One."

"And how many beds do you have...?"

Lavi waited a while, contemplating whether or not to stay silent or answer.

"Just, um...one." He braced himself, having an expectation of a violent rampage of some sort.

"Do you want to die, or are you serious," Kanda deadpanned.

"The second one?" Lavi questioned.

And it was decided Lavi would sleep on the floor.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **High school is (in the words of Shikamaru of Naruto) a drag.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own D. Gray - Man and all that jazz.

* * *

><p><span>Of Black Cats and Demons<span>

_Chapter 4_

Lavi shook his head, trying to shake the bloodthirsty feeling beginning to bubble in his stomach. He could feel his inner demon begin to claw its way through his self-control as he layed on his stomach on the carpeted floor of his bedroom.

He mentally groaned, hoping that the feeling will pass, but as time wore on, he realized it wouldn't.

Maybe just a few won't hurt, he thought to himself as he quietly got up.

Lavi glanced over at Kanda. The latter was lying on his side, and the redhead could see the black cat's chest slowly rise and fall. The demon tiptoed to the bathroom, careful not to make any noise. He dived into the closet and grabbed the nearest pair of pants he saw. He left the wife beater he wore alone and took the plaid pajama pants he was wearing off and replaced it with the white jeans he grabbed.

He silently jolted out the door and rapidly walked to the shoe rack, slipping on some socks he grabbed earlier and a pair of brown boots. Lavi grabbed the familiar switchblade sitting on the counter and slipped it into the holster that he strapped onto his thigh. He wrapped a black and white long coat that stretched down to mid-thigh around himself as he fumbled with the lock, opened the door, locked it once more from the outside, and near-silently closed the door.

The demon inside him began to feel excitement, making his body instinctively let the adreneline rush through his veins. It unnerved him. Lavi strolled through the darker and more invisible alleys, waiting to stumble upon a human.

Luck was with his thirst tonight, because there was a hobo sitting in the corner as Lavi skipped into the alleyway. He reached for the switchblade, letting it flick open. It caught the moonlight's midnight rays, flashing it at the poor man. It caught his attention, and Lavi's eye flushed ruby red. When the knife revealed itself, it knicked his finger, and he licked the blood off as a menacing smirk played on his lips. The man stared in shock as his face contorted into fear and disturbance. His body shook as Lavi drew closer. The redhead let the demon inside him and his instincts take over as his eye darkened into a burgundy.

Metal slashed through flesh. Blood sprayed across the grimy brick walls and everything else but Lavi, save a drop of blood that landed on his cheek. The redhead wiped it away, and he flicked the thick blood off the blade. He wiped whatever blood that remained on the blade on the victim's clothes and waited a bit for the familiar whispy orb that was going to rise from the man's chest at any moment.

Finally, Lavi thought to himself as he grabbed the soul. He held it in his hand, watching it slowly swirl as it grew smaller. The web-like strings of his soul unreeled and drew into Lavi's hand. His inner demon chuckled, starting to feel his bloodthirst quenched.

* * *

><p>Kanda's eye fluttered open as he heard a second scream that night. He was half-asleep when the first one rang out in the night; he thought it was just a dream. But by the time he heard the head-splitting scream that made his sensative feline ears ring, he was sure something was happening. Kanda swiftly sat up. Immediately, he fell back down. Black surrounded his vision as his head felt somewhat nausous.<p>

He groaned, waiting for the blood in his head to distribute throughout his body. While lying down, he looked over at the floor, somewhat expecting the familar redhead sprawled in a tangle of blankets and pillows.

But he didn't.

Kanda sighed, knowing exactly where the demon went, especially after hearing what he did.

* * *

><p>Lavi felt like he was watching his body from the outside. He mentally sighed, knowing he shouldn't have done this. The demon inside him was going to get carried away, and he knew it. Sighing once more, he continued to list the reasons as to why he should never do this again.<p>

As the thought about the Headband drifted across his mind, Lavi realized nothing hurt.

At all.

Does the Headband only work when the demon takes over? Or is his body just getting used to it? Both, possibly?

Lavi assumed it was the first, because the Headband _was_ made for a demon.

His body continued to do the demon's bidding, killing the hobos and getting none or a drop of blood on him.

He was walking toward another hobo, preparing to step out of the shadows, when suddenly, the hobo in question disappeared.

Lavi's body narrowed his eyes, frustrated. The hobo suddenly appeared behind him, a long and thin black sword pressing against the tan column of his neck.

"Lavi, what are you doing?"

Lavi's pupils dilated, returning to their normal size. He groaned, bringing a hand up to his head. He pictured himself as a giant in his mind, stepping on the little red devil into the ground.

He felt himself pulling back into his body, regaining control.

Lavi felt dizzy. His head hurt. His hand ached. His stomach felt weird because of the adrenaline. In conclusion, Lavi was not a happy camper.

Kanda put the sword back in its sheathe strapped on his hip. He eyed Lavi, making sure the redhead was himself.

"Are you okay?" he quietly asked.

Lavi shrugged, "More or less." Lavi dusted off imaginary stuff off his shoulders. "I'm leaning toward less, though." Lavi smirked, "Why? Were you worried?"

A blush spread like wildfire across Kanda's cheeks; he was glad it was dark. He mumbled a, "Maybe," which didn't go unheard.

"Oh, really?" Lavi asked, genuinely curious. The red was completely flushed out of his eye, leaving only the emerald green.

"Well, yeah..." Kanda mumbled as he put his hands behind his back and twiddled his fingers. He looked at the ground, which was a lot less interesting than he let on.

Lavi tilted Kanda's chin, so the latter would look at him. The next thing Kanda knew, the redhead captured his lips, making his eyes widen to the size of tea plates. He stared back at Lavi's eyepatch and closed eye, but soon enough, his own eyes slid closed.

Wait a minute.

Lavi. He's kissing Kanda. Oh, that's going to be awkward.

Kanda, not knowing how to deal with what's going to happen afterwards, summoned himself back to the underworld, leaving Lavi alone.

The redhead opened his eyes, a bit of him dying inside.

It was all his fault, Lavi knew. He didn't even know why he did that. Maybe because the moonlight hit Kanda's pale face at just the right angle, making his face radiate, his hair seem like a midnight blue. Or maybe Lavi just felt like it.

Nah, it was definitely the first one.

What now? Lavi thought.

He sighed.

He began walking back to his house, hands laced behind his head. He let his mind drift, thinking about how old he was or why water was water.

Suddenly, the mass of swirls of purples and reds appeared before him, and Kanda stepped out. The black cat swiftly kissed him and jumped back through the portal.

Lavi touched his lips with his fingers, smiling a bit.

Maybe it wasn't all his fault?


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** New chapter, anyone?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own D. Gray - Man!

* * *

><p>Of Black Cats and Demons<p>

_Chapter 5_

Kanda breathed deeply, trying to calm his nerves down. He was at the monumental building of the Court of Black Cats, where Komui called him to be at precisely twelve o'clock in the afternoon.

He supposed he was called at that time because the Underworld was a bit empty because this was a good time to terrorize beings at the surface. It was also a good time where things can go on in the Underworld where no one can hear you...and your screams of terror.

He pushed open the marble doors, the large slabs of rock creaking. He stepped in, and his tail and ears appeared. Kanda walked around, going up the steps; he opened the wooden door, seeing Komui in his fancy office, sitting in his fancy chair, stroking his fancy cat with its fancy big, red bow on its fancy head.

Kanda opened his mouth to say something, but Komui beat him to it.

"I know what you did Kanda," he said with that indifferent face of his. One of his purple ears twitched. "I told you to take the Headband and kill him.

"So, I will have you do just that. You will take the Headband, Kanda," Komui demanded, "and you will kill him. If you can't get the job done, I'll just have Daisya take care of it. Everyone knows he's been craving a bit of sunlight on the surface."

As if on cue, Daisya appeared from behind one of the shadowed marble columns. "Yeah, Kanda. Look how pale I'm getting," he joked.

"See what I mean, Kanda? And with Daisya's brutal behavior that was shown with that other demon when Suman couldn't get his job done, I assume you'd be more willing to do your assigned task."

Images of said demon's torn body and blood everywhere flashed before Kanda's eyes.

"I expect everything to be over and done by the end of this week," Komui said, the light reflecting off both lenses of his glasses. "You have three days, Kanda. Now begone."

Suddenly, a portal of red and purple swirls appeared under his feet , and he slipped in.

"Do you think he'll really do it, Komui?" Daiysa asked.

"I'm sure he will," he replied, looking over at him, "he'd much rather kill the demon himself than have you do it."

One of Daisya's eyebrow rose. "Heh?"

"After all," Komui said, pausing, "he likes the demon a lot more than he thinks, whether he knows it or not."

"Hm."

"Besides, he knows those Angel punks are getting closer to the Headband. And he knows what happens when they get it."

"What happens?"

The cat in Komui's lap jumped off and circled around Daisya. "Let's just say, no one down here survives."

* * *

><p>Kanda felt a gush of wind and realized he was falling from the sky. He bent his knees and landed on the balls of his feet easily; he brushed off the dust that landed on his shoulders from the dust cloud and looked around where he was.<p>

He looked around, seeing trees, grass, and more trees. Kanda sighed, grumbling about how Komui sent him to a random spot in the city.

He walked around, keeping an eye out for some cats and some sign of civilization.

Finally, an orange cat walked across his path and he asked it if it's seen a big, fancy building with white walls. After a couple of meows and some paw-pointing directions, Kanda set out to Lavi's school.

* * *

><p>"Allen? Did you-"<p>

"Yeah, I felt him, too. Listen Lenalee, stage some accident or something so we can get out of here," Allen mouthed to Lenalee from across the room. "We have to stop him before he gets to the Headband."

She nodded. Lenalee slowly inhaled, held her breath for a bit, and slowly exhaled. She then closed her eyes, let herself go limp, and fell out of her chair.

"Lenalee!" the teacher exclaimed. "Lenalee!"

"Is she alright?" Allen asked, feigning a bit of surprise.

"I don't know," the teacher replied, "Allen, could you take her to the nurse?"

"Of course," he said, picking her up. He carried her out, and the moment they were a few feet away from the closed door, he set her down. They nodded to each other and silently shot through the hallways and staircases of the school.

* * *

><p>Wonder what that was about, Lavi thought, mildly surprised at what just happened in front of him. Lenalee had just fainted and Allen carried her out to the nurse. He inwardly shrugged, not thinking to the situation anymore.<p>

What he was thinking now, though, was a different story. The only thoughts that would linger in his mind for more than a few seconds were of a certain black cat from the Underworld. He felt his presence enter the real world, but he didn't want to bother Kanda, having already set himself in the mindset that Kanda would want to avoid him after the emotionally awkward black cat kissed him last week.

He sighed, toying with the black pen in his hand.

So, for the first time in a hundred years, Lavi didn't know what to do.

* * *

><p>"Finally," Kanda muttered. He had finally found Lavi's school, and he was a mere five minutes walk from it. Suddenly, a feeling spiked in him. "Hm?"<p>

Running out the double doors were two awfully familiar figures.

"Kanda!" Allen yelled. "Don't move," he said as he disappeared. And as if time stopped, Allen appeared behind him, armor activated. The silver mask covered half of his face, and the white fur-lines cape billowed behind him. The sharp claws on his left hand were held against Kanda's neck as the large, gloved, white hand held the black cat's hands together.

Lenalee let her fox tail and ears appear, her eyes turning a feral yellow. Her senses heightened as she bolted to Kanda and Allen.

Kanda growled, his ears and tail showing. His eyes swirled from the cold black to a shocking ice blue. "What are you doing here?" he growled out, sharpened fangs poking out from the corner of his mouth.

Allen scoffed, "As if you didn't know. We're here for the same reason you are."

"Che." Kanda snarled, glaring at Lenalee, the person in front of him.

Taking advantage of the height difference between him and Allen, Kanda stuck his foot behind him and swiped it across, effectively distracting the white-haired boy into letting him go. He jumped to the side, willing for Mugen to appear. In a flurry of black and red light, his violin burst into his hands.

"Che." He swung it a few times for the violin to thin out into a sleek, black sword.

Allen and Lenalee stood side by side, facing Kanda who stood across from them.

As if on cue, they charged at each other.

* * *

><p>Bored, Lavi looked out the window, finding what he had expected to be completely different.<p>

He had expected the empty, sandy lot in front of the school with the tree branches slightly swaying in the direction of the breeze. In reality, he saw a certain black cat fighting with what seemed to be a white-

Wait a minute.

He squinted, secretly wishing his right eye didn't have to be covered with an eye patch. His eye widened at the sight of Allen, cloaked in Angel Armor, and Lenalee, fox ears and tail revealed. He pieced together the facts and realized what was about to happen. Lavi quickly raised his hand in the middle of his teacher's lecture.

"Hm? Yes, Lavi?" the teacher inquired.

"I, uh, may I got to the restroom?" he dumbly asked.

"Sure?" the teacher replied, a bit lenient on letting the redhead go.

He jumped out of his seat and bolted out the door. He pulled open one of the big windows from across the hallway and climbed on the sill. Quickly, he jumped out. Landing on the balls of his feet, he realized it was the wrong side of the building, so he darted around the corner and around another. His demon instincts kicked in as he saw the scene before him. Kanda was blocking blows from both Lenalee and Allen with a sword. Lavi reached into his pocket and pulled out the switchblade. It flicked out of the socket, as if it had a mind to do it. Fire engulfed the eye patch on his right eye, and the fabric burnt away. The eyelid opened revealing a blood red eye beneath.

Lavi put his arm out and swept it across the air. In synchronization, fire appeared out of thin air and followed the direction of his hand, creating a wall between Kanda and Allen, who had pulled Lenalee away. The trio looked over, realizing it was Lavi who created the burning madness. He pulled his arm back in the opposite direction, and the fire diminished.

"Lavi, we-" Allen started.

He held a hand up, and Allen flinched. "Don't," he said.

Lavi looked at Kanda, red and green clashing with blue. Kanda shamefully looked away.

"You've been deceiving me," Lavi said, "all of you."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **I'm really bad at writing fight scenes. Maybe I'm only good for those cute moments ;A; And I'm really bad at dialogue, too OTL But it's a new chapter, and I'm quite pleased with it.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own D. Gray - Man!

* * *

><p><strong>Recap!<strong>

_Lavi looked at Kanda, red and green clashing with blue. Kanda shamefully looked away.  
>"You've been deceiving me," Lavi said, "all of you."<em>

* * *

><p>He bitterly chuckled, putting his head into the hand without the switchblade as he mumbled something about he should have known. Lavi looked back up; from where Kanda was, he could see Lavi's green eye swirl into a dark brown to a ruby red that matched his other eye, which could only mean that the demon had activated the Headband. His senses heightened, time slowing by seconds to him for his speed to maximize. He held the hand with the blade out and opened it palm up; the sharp piece of metal floated on his palm and spun, quicker and quicker as time seemed to slow when it elongated into a long staff. He closed his hand, instantly stopping it. A flash of fire blazed around him, creating a swirling cocoon of the hot madness. The fire burned the blazer of his uniform and signed the tips of his button-up shirt. He pulled his arm out, relinquishing the fire. The change from hot to cold air created a violent wind around him, making his hair blow into his face, creating a sinister effect. With the Headband activated, his demon persona surfaced. He smirked, sharpened canines poking out of his mouth.<p>

Kanda sighed, already recovering from his bout with Allen and Lenalee. He'd have to stop the redhead soon, or else it's not going to be the other three that's going to be hurt. He'd also have to send the other two—Allen and Lenalee—back to the sky. He can't exactly have angels hanging around after this.

Allen panted, unable to catch his breath; the fire from before took up more than half the oxygen. Angels needed more oxygen than anyone or anything else because they were used to having so much, being up there. He took a deep breath, closing his mouth and trying to breathe through his nose. It was hard, because with each breath he took and exhaled, his lungs burned with a more ferocious pain and dryness. Lenalee will have to help him stall the other two from the Underworld for the oxygen levels to regulate.

Kanda's ears perked, the meowing of a cat in the vicinity distracting him. In just a few meows and some scratching, Kanda got the estimated oxygen levels, and from his knowledge of angels, it's far too low for an appropriate fighting condition for Allen. Armed with new information, he sped to the angel first. He jumped high in the air, startling him. Immediately, he dove down, farther and farther, until he was some feet from the ground where the white-haired boy was. At the last second, he flipped over, bent his knees, and landed, creating a massive crater. A large cloud of dust sprung, obstructing Allen and Lenalee's vision.

Suddenly, a punch struck Allen in the side, and he skid out of the dust, a trail following him. Lavi rushed to him, ready to hit him with the staff, but was blocked by Lenalee, who had jumped out of the dust and in front of her partner. She straightened her arm guards and fought. She jumped, aiming a kick for Lavi's chest but headed for a different direction when he moved her leg out of the way. Realizing what he did, with lightning reflexes, she spun around, and hit the area below Lavi's shoulder blade with a sharp jab. Unflinching, Lavi turned around and blocked the blow of an overhead kick from Lenalee. She turned, hooking her foot in the X of Lavi's arms and jumped into a kind of bicycle kick, effectively sliding him onto his back.

Allen stood there, struggling to keep from stumbling. The oxygen levels were steadily raising, and silently thanked Lenalee for stalling Lavi.

But before he could take another breath, Kanda flew out from the settling dust cloud. He jumped to Allen, who barely had time to jump out of the way of Kanda's sword. Feeling the blade cut through the Angel Armor, he continued, slashing his sword in every direction possible with light speed. Allen had his hand raised, attempting to block every cut. His arm slipped, and Kanda, seeing his chance, put power in the next blow and managed to cut Allen down his forearm with the claws. He immediately backed away, his toe skidding against the ground below him. Allen let his arm go limp, feeling the nerve in his arm cut half-way through; his arm was beginning to numb from pain and blood loss. Kanda flicked his blade once, the bit of blood on it splattering onto the ground. He held the stilt with both hands, going into the postion once more. Kanda stood there, ready for whatever Allen was going to pull; the latter, however, was trying to recover from little oxygen in his system and blood loss as he was thinking of ways to compensate the disconnected nerve in his left arm.

Lenalee gave one last kick to Lavi's chin, sending him flying and hitting the ground with a slight, "thump."

She bent her knee and straightened her other leg that was in the direction of Lavi and got into the fighting stance once more with her arm raised and the other pointed at the demon, palm facing him. Lavi spit the bit of blood and wiped the trail it left with the sleeve on his forearm. The demon was angry; hot white fury was coursing through his veins, and his usual personality was almost completely swallowed by the demon being that had surfaced. He shot through the sandy field and pulled the staff back to hit Lenalee. She put her arms up, forming the pair into an X. But as Lavi approached her, he disappeared in a flash. She was confused, but on her guard, ready for him. Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain at the base of her neck and everything went black.

Lavi panted, standing over Lenalee. He was tired. Lavi wasn't exactly used to vigorous hand-to-hand combat. He turned to look at Kanda and Allen, engaged in battle. Making up his mind, he jumped over to the black cat.

"Give it up, angel," Kanda snarled as his sword was blocked once again by Allen's claws. The angel remembered about the little potion up his sleeve and used it when Kanda was across the field.  
>Allen glared, "Not until you do."<p>

The two skid away in opposite directions and went at it once more. Kanda pulled his sword back and brought it forth, aiming for Allen's arm. Just before the blade reached the angel's limb, Kanda was suddenly hit in the side. His eyes widened as he was thrown away. Lavi jumped in the air, following Kanda.

"Lavi, what the-" Kanda began.

Lavi growled, interrupting him.

_Everyone's against you, Lavi_, a voice told him. _Everyone was only there because they wanted the Headband._

He kneed Kanda in his stomach, mid-air. Kanda coughed, heaving. He was winded and could barely breathe. Lavi struck Kanda's back with his elbow with a sickening, "crack." Kanda gagged, tasting the metallic flavor of blood on his tongue. He flew to the ground and hit the ground. Feebly, Kanda shook as he tried to stand, the sword in a weak grip in his hand. The dust that had flown into the form of a cloud surrounded him, blocking his vision. Blood trailed down his chin from the corner of his mouth. Kanda was torn on whether fighting back and hurt Lavi or just take it and having himself end up killed.

_**Hey!**__ Lavi cried_. He knew where he was: the confines of his mind. It was just a completely black room with a single light that shone on him. _**What are you doing?**__ he yelled at his demon persona._

_**Getting even,**__ it replied._

_**What do you mean?**__ he questioned. __**You're going to hurt everyone.**_

_**That's kind of the point, you know,**__ it said._

_He suddenly felt himself being pushed down, as if someone was trying to stuff him into a jar too small for anyone._

Kanda grunted as Lavi struck him in the chest with the heel of his palm. He coughed, blood splattering onto the ground. Kanda was in trouble; his lung was bruised and he had a couple broken ribs. If this keeps up, Lavi might end up breaking a limb. He flicked his sword out, turning it into a staff. He blocked the next blow that was aimed for his neck, just barely. Lavi's demon side has already taken over, he concluded.

Suddenly, Allen kicked Lavi in the side, startling the demon and Kanda.

"What are you doing?" Kanda asked.

"Saving your butt," was the reply. "Grab Lenalee over there, and I'll stall him a bit. Get around the corner and wait there."

Kanda nodded, running towards the fox. He picked her up, hoisted her over his shoulder, and ran. He sprinted across the lot and turned around the corner. He put Lenalee down and waited.

Allen appeared in a blur beside him. "She's been knocked out," Kanda said.

"I know," Allen said, a bit irritated. "I'm not stupid."

"Could have fooled me," Kanda replied.

Allen ignored him, trying to wake up Lenalee. "Lenalee, wake up...wake up." She stirred. Allen leaned over and mumbled something in her ear. She bolted upright as a blushing mess. "Good, you're up," Allen said. "Get ready. We've only got a couple minutes, more or less."

Lavi appeared, a distance in front of the three.

"Okay, we team up this once, and that's it," Allen offered.

Kanda grunted.

"We hit him with everything we got at the same time."

Lavi was approaching them, his staff now a poleaxe.

"We go at three," Allen said. Lenalee and Kanda nodded, preparing themselves.

"One..."

Lavi was getting closer.

"Two..."

He was sprinting towards them now.

"Three!"

The trio ran towards him. Lenalee jumped, aiming a kick to Lavi. Allen ran, claws at the ready. Kanda gripped his sword.

They collided in the middle, and a big dome of fire engulfed the entire area. As it diminished, all three flew in different directions, Lavi into the nearby woods, Allen to the middle of the lot, Lenalee a distance from Allen, and Kanda on the opposite end.

It was safe to say all four were unconscious, but inside, Lavi was everything but.

_**Stop it, already!**__ Lavi yelled. __**Stop!**_

_**Look at them, Lavi. They've been lying to you, getting close to get the Headband. Allen lied...**_

_**No...**__ Lavi mumbled as he gripped his head. Pain was pulsating through his head._

_**Lenalee lied.**_

_**No...**_

_**Even your beloved black cat.**_

_Lavi yelled, trying to drive his other side out. He pictured himself stepping on the persona, flattening it until it was nothing._

_**They didn't lie to me!**__ he screeched. __**You only want me to think that! So you can leave!**_

_**Lavi, you don't understand!**_

_**I think I do! I know they did what they did! I don't care if Lenalee and Allen lied! Kanda didn't! HE DIDN'T LIE TO ME! If he did don't you think I'd be dead by now?**__ Lavi continued on a rampage, belittling the demon, flattening its very being._

_Images of Kanda and memories flashed before him; memories of them watching that sappy movie, of them sharing that drink in the cafe, of them that night when Kanda kissed him._

_**Just go away!**__ he yelled. A white flash swallowed the entire state of his mind._

* * *

><p>Lavi's eye fluttered open, the other one under a wrap of bandages. Kanda was leaning over him from the side of the bed, staring at him with inquisitive eyes. He realized he was in his room.<p>

"What? Worried I wasn't going to wake up?" Lavi teased, weakly smirking.

Kanda scowled, his cheeks tinting with a light pink blush. "Che."

All humor aside, Lavi asked, "How long was I out?"

"Couple days."

"What happened?"

"You kind of went crazy."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Oh. What about Allen and Lenalee?"

"They'll be back. Sooner or later."

Silence enveloped them once more. It was getting somewhat awkward.

"Hey, Kanda?"

"Hm?"

"Can I still call you Yuu?"

"I don't care."

Lavi was getting very frustrated with this awkward silence thing.

As Kanda pushed the chair out, standing up, Lavi leaned forward, grabbed a fistful of the shirt Kanda wore and dragged him back, effectively planting his lips on the black cat's. Lavi's firetruck red hair covered his eyes and the tips brushed Kanda's forehead.

Komui's gonna kill me for this, Kanda reminded himself. But he couldn't find it in himself to care.

_Whatever._


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **It's late, I know, but I actually finished this a few days ago and didn't have time to proofread and edit until today. I decided not to cut it off at chapter eight; instead, I decided to keep it going with a new arc :D

I think it's a bit vague on some stuff, and maybe I'm rushing it, but this is the second time I rewrote it, and it comes out pretty much the same every time. But still, tell me if it's weird or it kind of sets you off ^^

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing ;A;

* * *

><p><span>Of Black Cats and Demons<span>

_Chapter 7_

A brown cat pranced into Daisya's room, causing the Undworld dweller to look up from the soccer article in the magazine he was reading. His eyebrow rose in question as the cat meowed and patted its paw on the ground.

"Komui needs to see me?" he repeated.

The feline tapped its paw on its head and meowed.

The brunette clicked his tongue in annoyance. "You're just full of attitude, aren't you?"

It hissed at him, and he hissed back.

"Dude, what are you doing?"

Daisya looked up from his staring battle with the cat and embarrassingly looked at the person at the door. "Oh," Daisya weakly greeted, "hey, Timothy..."

The young teen leaned on the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest. He rolled his eyes at the older. "Hey, stupid."

Daisya scowled.

Discreetly eyeing the cat-that was still holding a glaring contest with the other-the bluenette asked about Komui.

"Huh? Yeah, he wanted to see me," he dumbly replied.

Timothy rolled his eyes, turning to leave. The clacks of his sandals reverberated throughout the empty hallway.

"Hey, wait!"

As the duo walked through the first set of doors to the Hall, Daisya's brown tail and ears appeared, tearing the bandages that were wrapped around his head. His brown mop of hair fell over his eyes. Grumbling to himself about how he had just replaced those, he brushed away the chocolate locks. Timothy's appeared also, the furry appendages a sky blue. He glanced at Daisya, annoyed.

The latter ignored him, continuing to the next set-"Tch. Stupid Komui, putting up three sets of doors."-of an entrance.

He glanced over at Timothy, who was trailing behind him. The kid was a weird one. Daisya had arrived at the Hall one day and found him there, sitting on the marble steps in front of the first set of doors. The bluenette looked up at him with his brown eyes, looking innocent enough for Daisya to take the kid with him to see Komui. And when he had introduced the two, the purple-haired black cat was quite pleased with Timothy.

The two slowly climbed up the marble steps Timothy in the front. The younger black cat walked with an air of seriousness as his arms slightly swung alternatively at his sides. Daisya's fingers were interlocked behind his head. They walked up the final step and the last set of double doors loomed in front of them. Timothy walked up to the door and forcefully pushed the doors open with both his semi-scrawny arms.

"Marie!" Daisya exclaimed, not expecting he'd see his friend there as well.

"Daisya, Timothy," the dark-skinned Underworld dweller greeted. He turned back to Komui and asked, "Well, Komui, what did you summon us for?"

The other two wanted to know, also. The three black cats must have been brought together for something serious if Komui gathered them at once.

"I need you to," Komui began slowly as he turned around in his chair, "eliminate Kanda."

* * *

><p>The hairs on Kanda's neck stood. He had a bad feeling...<p>

The black cat got up from his sitting position on the couch to the window. He opened the glass pane and blew a noiseless whistle. With a slight rustle to his right, a cat walked out.

"Hey, you," Kanda called.

The orange tabby stared at Kanda with its green eyes as it meowed.

"Yeah, you. You're going to the Underworld and hang out at the Hall for a while," Kanda said. "When I get you back, tell me what Komui's up to."

It meowed in somewhat of a reluctant agreement and Kanda nodded. He held his hand out and opeend it, palm faced down. The familiar portal of red and purple grew from the ground, and the cat slipped in.

Kanda couldn't help but feel as if the cat reminded him of something...or someone. From the window, he turned around, looking at Lavi. The redhead was lying in an upside-down position, his legs against the wall and head hanging off the seat of the couch. The tips of his red hair touched the floor, exposing his forehead. He held the controller in his hands his face was twisted in a look of concentration: furrowed eyebrows and tongue stuck our between his lips. A single green eye glanced over at Kanda and caught him staring. The demon winked and went back to his video game. Kanda's cheeks turned a light pink as the black ears and tail appeared in embarrassment.

"You know, Yuu," Lavi said as he paused the game, turning to lay in his back and scooted to lean on the arm of the couch, "how did your injuries heal up so you could take care of mine?"

Kanda shrugged. "I heal quickly."

"Huh," Lavi mused. "You know what else?"

"Hm?" Kanda absentmindedly hummed, walking to the kitchen.

"You stare at me a lot, too," Lavi said as he went back into his upside-down position, continuing the game.

Kanda's face flushed as he concentrated on breaking the eggs into the bowl.

* * *

><p>"I'm sorry, what?" Daisya asked, double-checking to make sure he heard right.<p>

Marie's eyebrows furrowed; Timothy crossed his arms over his chest as he scowled.

"He's become a bit," Komui paused, "for lack of better words, rebellious."

"So? It's not like Daisya and I have not been the same way at one point of joining the Hall, either," Marie countered. "I bet Timothy won't the same in a couple of decades."

Daisya's tongue clicked in annoyance. "I was like that the first few decades, hanging out with demons. Cut the kid some slack Komui; he's only been in the organization for a couple hundred years." Komui narrowed his eyes at him. "Plus, this independent thing from the demons is still pretty new, I mean, it's as if the thing was signed yesterday."

"It doesn't matter-"

"Listen, Komui, I don't care what matters and what doesn't. Just cool down," Daisya said. "We'll clean up his mess, okay?"

Marie and Timothy whipped their heads to look at him. Timothy's eyes widened and Marie's jaw hit the floor.

"What do you mean you'll, '_clean up his mess_,' Daisya?" Komui said, making air quotations. "The demon is out to get souls, and why did we break off from them? Oh, right, it's so _they don't go crazy and take too many if we bond with them_," he emphasized. "And the Headband is going to help him get those souls, and we sent Kanda out to get that Headband so the demon won't collect souls, _not so he would get tangled in this mess in this way_." Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted an orange cat enter the room, but he ignored the feline. Cats wandering into the Hall weren't uncommon. "And knowing Kanda, he's going to convince said demon to stay home for the night, not collecting souls. And if demons don't get their souls, some serious consequences are going down. So, if Kanda makes Lavi go on a soul-starved session, he's got no choice but to let Lavi go mass-hunting at the end of the month or something. And you three know what happens in mass-hunting."

Mass-hunting didn't occur often, due to demons usually getting their usual required number. But when it does, demons go crazy, hunting twice as much, twice as fast. It was something to be avoided, so there was something written in the demon-black-cat-break-off about it.

"He's right," Timothy muttered, looking at the ground with his arms still crossed over his chest.

"I don't care," Daisya grumbled. "Marie, this kid," the brunette said as he pointed a thumb at a scowling Timothy, "and I can totally take him on."

"Maybe Lavi," Komui challenged, "but there's Kanda, who knows every move you're going to make, and those angels who seem to be unable of keeping their noses out of anything." Komui scowled. "Why can't you three just go along with it like you would with everything else."

Marie sighed. "Because Kanda's one of us."

* * *

><p>"Hey, Yuu~!" Lavi called, walking into the front door of his flat. He held the small box in his hands as he used his feet to take his boots off.<p>

Kanda's head poked out from the bedroom; his eyes swirled with curiosity. "What?"

"Come out and look!" the demon said, setting the box on the kitchen counter.

The black cat walked out the room, wearing one of Lavi's white t-shirts and plaid pajama pants.

"Why are you wearing my clothes?" the redhead asked, his eyebrows rising.

Kanda shrugged. "They're comfier than mine."

"Well, duh," Lavi scoffed," you're always wearing skin-tight tank tops-which are quite hot, by the way-and sweatpants that strangle your ankles."

At the comment of Kanda's shirts, his face burned bright scarlet. He immediately looked away and concentrated on the box instead. "So, what's in the box?"

"Open it!" Lavi urged.

The black cat rolled his eyes as he gripped the top of the box and pulled it off.

Kanda blinked once, twice, and another time just to make sure what was in the box was really what was in the box. "Lavi..."

The demon stood, grin on his a face, a bit enthusiastic.

"What's this?" Kanda asked, holding up a piece of red cardboard. It was cut in the shape of a heart, and in black marger, the words, 'Lavi's Heart," was scribbled on it in neat, long manuscript.

"My heart," Lavi replied, resisting the urge to squirm in excitement. "Figuratively, of course."

"You're giving," Kanda paused, making sure he heard right, "your heart."

"Yeah."

"You're giving me your heart," Kanda stated. He didn't get it, at least, not at first. "You're giving me your heart," he slowly said. Gradually, he pieced together the phrase and got exactly what it meant. "Because...you like me."

"Well, yeah," the redhead said, suddenly embarrassed due to the way Kanda said it in such a way. "I mean, we've only known each other for so long, and I think there's a few decades of an age gap, but I mean, what's the difference because I think my dad was older than my mom by a few centuries or something, but I really like you and I'm assuming you like me, too, but I've been wrong before, just not about things like these, and I really like you-"

"You talk too much," Kanda said. In Lavi's babbling, Kanda grabbed a sheet of paper and a pen from somewhere and scribbled something on it. He handed Lavi the paper, which was torn into the shape of a heart. It was horribly ripped; one side was larger than the other and there was a gaping corner in the larger side. "You can have my heart, too."

Lavi's grin widened, and he threw his long arms around the shorter. The redhead spun them around, and Kanda had to wrap his arms around Lavi's neck to keep from slipping.

"Okay, Romeo," the black cat said in his ear, "you can let me down now."

And Lavi did just that, but not without planting a face crushing kiss on Kanda's lips before his feet hit the ground.

* * *

><p>Daisya was not happy-not happy at all.<p>

Timothy, the sneaky kid, had somehow managed to get Marie and Daisya to come up to the middle ground, anyways. The brunette swears that kid has some kind of crazy and mysterious hypno-powers or something (but he still wishes he could have that power).

Daisya was laying on a tree branch, staring at the sky through the green leaves. It was kind of weird, being up here, again. He hasn't been up here since that time-

He stopped himself there before he would think about _that_ in greater detail.

Before he could think about anything else, a cat jumped onto his stomach, effectively startling him. He jumped and fell of the branch. The distance to the ground was too short to flip over, so he landed on his face.

"Of course it had to be the face," he muttered to himself as he turned over. His eyes squinted as the sun continued to glare down at him.

The cat patted its paw on his arm and meowed.

"Timothy, you said?" he questioned.

The feline waved its paw.

"At the park?"

It held its paw in its place.

Daisya scowled. "Fine, whatever, you didn't have to cuss at me," he said, somewhat offended. "I'll stop repeating everything you say; happy?" With that, he got up and followed the cat to the park.

Timothy swung on the swing by himself, back and forth. The creaking of the old set sounded a somewhat familiar and nostalgic.

_Maybe it'll bring back some memories..._

"Yo! Timothy!" Daisya called form a distance.

The bluenette looked up, eyes wider than their usual narrowed look. The slight scowl stayed, though. The older black cat jogged up to him, asking what the kid needed him for.

"I think," Timothy paused, "we should team up with Kanda."

* * *

><p><em>Just to be sure, one more time, tell me if there's something that kind of sets you off about this chapter ^^ It's pretty weird in the end because it seems a bit rushed and it might not make sense because to be honest, I can't write a better way for it to make more sense. Also, tell me about mistakes or anything unusual or something ^^<em>


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